Ludlow students, parents, teachers oppose proposed program cuts

LUDLOW — Parents, students and teachers Thursday complained about the cuts which have been proposed under the fiscal 2013 School Department budget.

Interim School Superintendent Donna Hogan’s proposed school budget is $28,715,818, which is $579,013 less than this year’s school budget. Hogan said the budget respects the parameters set by the Board of Selectmen and the Finance Committee and the concerns of taxpayers that property taxes have risen too fast.

At a Thursday's School Committee meeting, community members said that some of the staffing cuts that have been proposed would be a mistake.

Heather Goncalves, a science and technology coordinator at Baird Middle School, called the cut of a technology teacher at the middle school “a step in the wrong direction for Ludlow.”

She said middle school students own smart phones and they need education about computers, the Internet and social media.

Steven Talbot, a senior at Ludlow High School, said his technology courses at Baird Middle School are his best memories of middle school. Cutting the technology course for sixth- or seventh-graders would be “a huge loss to the school system,” Talbot said.

The School Committee on Thursday also received a 156-signature petition from high school students opposing the proposed cut of a Portuguese language teacher at the high school. Many students in Ludlow are of Portuguese descent, and one parent said the students should have the chance to learn about their culture.

School Committee member Jacob Oliveira said it would be a mistake to cut a guidance counselor position at Ludlow High School.

The clerk who makes copies for teachers also does an important service for the high school, he said.

Hogan’s proposed budget calls for the reduction of 10 teaching positions, a guidance counselor, three teacher aids and two tutors.

“The real issue is the lack of revenue,” Oliveira said.

School Committee member James Harrington praised parents for paying attention to the proposed budget cuts and for taking the time to come to the School Committee meeting.

School Committee members say they will not vote on a final budget until after the state finalizes its state aid figures to the town.